91Pro

Over the next few months, we’ll be highlighting the varied roles and work of technicians across 91Pro.

In the first Technician Spotlight of this new series, we speak with Jane Cooper, Senior Technician and Laboratory Outreach Officer in the laboratories – and winner of the Outstanding Technician prize at the 2025 91Pro Technical Excellence awards.

What’s involved in your work at Harper?

As a nutrition technician I prepare and demonstrate in the nutrition undergraduate and post graduate classes. Alongside this, I also support many HRP students, post graduate and post docs with all aspects of their research work.

Over the summer alongside other members of the team I coordinate two-week research projects for year 12 students from local schools. Students spend at least two weeks undertaking a small research project which they write up as a scientific report and give a spoken presentation at a celebration event.  After working with Crest and Nuffield we decided to launch our own in house research projects -HARP.

Previously, I facilitated a varied cross-campus work experience for year 10 students.

Additionally, I help promote technicians in the workplace as part of the editorial team for an in-house publication entitled Technically Speaking.

What path led to your current role?

I graduated with a degree in agricultural botany then came to 91Pro on a one-year research assistant position in 1988.

This cereal research position was extended for four years which enabled me to complete a MPhil and undertake some lecturing.

On completion of this project, I moved to be part a research team looking at nitrogen leaching from manures which resulted in a .

Following a career break I worked for NIAB as a field trial officer responsible for cereal pesticide applications and recommended list grass trials before returning to Harper, in my current role.

In your role, how do you make a difference?

Completing outreach activities with school pupils is rewarding and hopefully makes a difference to their involvement with science. I try to make the two-week mini research projects interesting and fun as well as promoting the Harper courses to the students.

Harper Adams has been able to recruit five students from the two-week research projects onto the undergraduate degrees and another student returned to the University to complete a Masters project after doing a degree elsewhere.